Thai editorial: Cable TV industry needs more time to mature

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Cable TV industry needs more time to mature
The Nation

Long dominated by monopolistic entities, the industry can only improve by new providers emerging and offering better services and options

BANGKOK: -- For decades Thailand's cable TV industry was dominated by a few major providers, with TrueVisions having the lion's share recently thanks largely to its control of "premium content", especially its English Premier League football broadcast rights.

Things changed this year when newcomer CTH beat TrueVisions to acquire the EPL rights and consumers foresaw an alternative to the True monopoly. Besides CTH, other players like GMMZ and RS also hold European football broadcast rights. At first glance, the emergence of new providers was a promising sign for consumers, but it's still too early to say whether having more providers automatically translates to consumer benefits.

Have we reached the point of this being a buyer's market? Not quite, to judge from viewers' reactions. Fans of European football now realise that competition among the providers hasn't benefited them much. They must pay around Bt2,800 a month to view the major football leagues and buy at least three receiver boxes.

Although CTH's subscription fee is slightly lower that that of TrueVisions, some subscribers are reluctant to shun TrueVisions, whose service still has more to offer in terms of sports, movies and reality TV shows. CTH, they find, doesn't yet offer sufficient quantity or quality. To be fair, CTH has to create its other programming from scratch. It took TrueVisions years to provide so-called "premium" programming. Its dominance since the merger of UTV and IBC gave birth to UBC in 1997 allows it to monopolise the market by default. That gives it enormous bargaining power in negotiations with overseas content providers.

The best strategy for the new providers was to get "magnet" shows. In the case of CTH, that meant English football, while RS went for Spain's La Liga. While they strive to boost quantity to draw new subscribers, shows are repeated often. They might have more than 100 channels, but is this what consumers really want?

Having more providers doesn't give consumers a greater choice. The rule of supply and demand is not always applicable. Consumers are still looking for better service. One of the major drawbacks to what's available is that the platforms are not yet synchronised, so consumers must have extra receiver boxes or satellite dishes every time they sign up with a new provider.

The pay-per-view option, introduced in Thailand more than a decade ago, has gained little traction among cable operators. Most still prefer "bulk" sales rather than on-demand options. Perhaps they should take a hint from the success of Barclay's Premier Live Mobile application on AIS. In little more than a week, 200,000 subscribers took up the option for Premier League football on-demand only. The willingness to pay for a particular option might be as close as we get to confirming readiness for on-demand or pay-per-view options.

Thailand's cable industry has gradually evolved, but more will be needed before we reach the point of owning one receiver box for all, with an a la carte programme menu. Technology is no longer a barrier. It is now up to the providers to evolve. There is hope. Recall that, a decade ago, a similar scenario required a flat monthly fee for a mobile phone on top of the airtime fee. The buyer's market has not yet arrived, but it will eventually.


-- The Nation 2013-09-04

[lee b]

Show me the football plezzzzzzzz

[CWMcMurray]

It seems that the competition to True is all about soccer...

Could care less about soccer, but if there was a good alternative that had same programming and Star World, True Series, Nikelodeon, Disney, Cartoon Network,HBO, ect...

Then would be interested

Although to be honest, we are actually ok with Programming and channels offered by True and also like their cable Internet service as well.

Although I am an American... So that's probably why... If I was from any other country, would probably not be as happy. As seems most of true international programming is US Chanel's and shows

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[noitom]

"More time to mature." A euphemism for time to work out the skim and vig.

[Kayahammer]

"Although CTH's subscription fee is slightly lower that that of TrueVisions"

Not if you're only interested in the EPL. Try 50 % cheaper.

[tomross46]

How much will this cost the public. TRUE still can not control the output volume during the commercials. They keeo telling the customers they will do something, but nothing happens. SSDD

[Suradit69]

The title of the article refers to "Cable TV." Are the programs offered,the "packages" and the prices the same for True cable and True Satellite? Presumably the cable service is primarily in Bangkok and satellite elsewhere?

I've got the satellite service, which seems to function quite well. A good deal of the movies and serials don't appeal to me, but then True can't be blamed for the current obsession with vampires, zombies, the melodramatic police soap operas, the movies aimed at the brain-dead demographic or the ancient re-runs offered endlessly by BBC Entertainment. I only wish True still offered the more or less comprehensive printed program schedule so that finding something worth watching wasn't quite as much of a crap-shoot as it's become.

As for sports, as long as there's some baseball, NFL games and tennis, that's fine. I sympathize to some extent with the football/soccer fanatics, but some football and the seemingly interminable snooker are on nearly 24/7. What happened to pool? The Guinness sponsored pool tournaments and similar programs have vanished.

[Krataiboy]

Cable TV industry needs more time to mature

Mature? No, it needs to grow up. Some programmes for normal, intelligent adults would be welcome.

[mikebell]

I wish CTH would publish IN ENGLISH their programmes for the week. I don't know how to use their remote to get info on programmes. I got rid of True because of the football but I always knew what the alternatives were.

[PhilipCook]

wait for the real competitors to arrive via the web, use apple tv for now with non-thai based account. certainly beats the thainess filtering.

[worgeordie]

Yes I do all my Tv viewing from the web, up to date programs ,no commercials

when streaming movies,series ,etc, and the picture is a lot better.

regards Worgeordie

[Rorri]

How much will this cost the public. TRUE still can not control the output volume during the commercials. They keeo telling the customers they will do something, but nothing happens. SSDD

lol..not only during the commercials, it's up and down during shows between channels, sound randomly stops for a few seconds, some pre-recorded shows have such bad quality is becomes unwatchable (this is not a signal problem with my receiver, I'm a techy by trade) a professionally run company would re-record the show, but not true, just shove it out to the paying customers. Total disrespect!

[Rorri]

wait for the real competitors to arrive via the web, use apple tv for now with non-thai based account. certainly beats the thainess filtering.

Web is only good if you have a fast, consistent connection.

[djlest]

Cable is dead! more time to mature???

the internet plugged into a widescreen TV via HDMI - netflix via a VPN or similar for movies (no ads no wasted money or time, watch what you want, skip it if it sucks)
The football and live coverage of sports is upto the pubs and bars to provide, i wouldn't ever want to watch it at home anyway.

But the providers of cable the better i guess, i loathe TRUE as a company so anyone taking them on i fully support, go for it.

[RigPig]

I recently swapped over to the CTH Digital service from the old Analog service in Kata (Karon Cable) as it appeared to have better options, even bought 2 additional boxes (3 in total). The picture is so jumpy (looks like a buffering problem) and the sound out of sync I am about to develop Epilepsy. I have had them out 4 times to fix it and each time they just pack up their bat and ball and leave without saying a thing.

Anyone else having similar issues?

[smutcakes]

As a football/soccer follower i am hoping TRUE and CTH come to some kind of agreement on the football. It cant be profitable for either of them in the current state. It is exorbitantly expensive to replace TRUE with CTH in condominium's not to mention that many people prefer the other options on TRUE.

They cannot use the same wiring, so needs a completely new system. Surely it is in the best interest of both TRUE and CTH if they come to some kind of agreement between themselves where TRUE vision subscribers can watch through their current boxes.

It seems like some kind of Mexican stand off between the companies which can only be negative for the consumers.

[Thai at Heart]

Long dominated by monopolistic entities

I think you can just about apply that to any market in which CP/True participates.

[trainman34014]

About 60% of all the people I've met in Thailand need 'Time to Mature', so if some of these people are running these cable TV company's it stands to reason that they are immature and will fight like demented children to keep their hands on their little earner rather than being sensible and 'evolving'.

[jaidam]

Bill Monson should be mature now that he's in his 70s, maybe they can get him back to get some return on capital employed.

[khaowong1]

Yeah, about 50 more years, maybe.

[David Barker]

Sky, Setanta & BT sports plus a lot more inc movies kids etc. from Spain via internet 200€ a year BT 700 a month

[RigPig]

"Sky, Setanta & BT sports plus a lot more inc movies kids etc. from Spain via internet 200€ a year BT 700 a month"

Do you have a link?

[piete121]

As a football/soccer follower i am hoping TRUE and CTH come to some kind of agreement on the football. It cant be profitable for either of them in the current state. It is exorbitantly expensive to replace TRUE with CTH in condominium's not to mention that many people prefer the other options on TRUE.

They cannot use the same wiring, so needs a completely new system. Surely it is in the best interest of both TRUE and CTH if they come to some kind of agreement between themselves where TRUE vision subscribers can watch through their current boxes.

It seems like some kind of Mexican stand off between the companies which can only be negative for the consumers.

I think you might find that the battle between True and CTH has nothing to do with wiring or providing an alternative or anything at all to do with the customers and everything to do with trying to destroy the old guard of Thailand. Remember the GMM/True Euros saga from the other year - same thing. This is the criminal in the desert making sure no one who doesn't support him can get what they want. And before you say this has nothing to do with him, one of his Lawyers is the owner of CTH - a bit like that maid of his maybe?

I would love to see a map of the cable side of CTH (Cable Thai Holdings if you didn't know) since their call centre has just told me it will be 1 year before they have a cable system available.

Joke? I wish it was but then TiT!!